photo: Alashiya Gordes, Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations

Capacity-building for climate action

Addressing climate change in a sustainable way requires considerable efforts, and not all countries
have the capacity – the knowledge, the tools, the public support, the scientific expertise and
the political know-how – to do so. Capacity-building is about enhancing the ability of
individuals, organizations and institutions in developing countries and in countries with economies
in transition to identify, plan and implement ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Capacity-building under the Convention and its Kyoto Protocol takes place on three levels

Institutional level: fostering the development of organizations and institutions, including their
missions, mandates, cultures, structures, competencies, and human and financial resources, as well as
the cooperation between organizations, institutions and sectors

Systemic level: creating enabling environments through economic and regulatory policies and
accountability frameworks in which institutions and individuals operate